African American Grief

by Rosenblatt,Paul C.

• ISBN13: 9780415951524
• ISBN10: 0415951526
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2005-04-26
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

It is often convenient to assume that grief is a basic human process, akin to breathing, sleeping, or walking. While there will always be slight differences in the duration, intensity, and exact grieving process of a given individual, the similarities in the fundamental experience and physical and mental responses to loss allow counselors, friends, and family members to have a foundation for work with the bereaved. However, while these underlying similarities can help to facilitate our understanding of the grieving experience, it is important to consider the impacts that particular cultural, historical, societal, and religious traits can have on a group's experiences with grief. In light of this acknowledgement, there have been a number of cross-cultural studies of grieving rituals, funeral and burial rites, and mourning experiences that have all contributed to an increased sensitivity to the distinctiveness of grieving experiences between different groups. But what has not been considered is anon-comparative study of a specific group's unique experiences with grief, within its own context and without comparison to white, Euro-American experiences. African American Griefis a unique contribution to the field, both as a professional resource for counselors, therapists, social workers, clergy, and nurses, and as a reference volume for thanatologists, academics, and researchers. This work considers the potential effects of slavery, racism, and white ignorance and oppression on the African American experience and conception of death and grief in America. Based on interviews with 26 African-Americans who have faced the death of a significant person in their lives, the authors document, describe, and analyze key phenomena of the unique African-American experience of grief. The book combines moving narratives from the interviewees with sound research, analysis, and theoretical discussion of important issues in thanatology as well as topics such as the influence of the African-Americanchurch, gospel music, family grief, medical racism as a cause of death, and discrimination during life and after death.

Table of Contents

Series Editor's Foreword	vii
Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	xi
Grief and Life Span	1	(6)
Racism as a Cause of Death	7	(12)
Racism and Discrimination in the Life of the Deceased	19	(10)
Visitations, Wakes, and Funerals	29	(14)
African American Institutions for Dealing with Death	43	(8)
How People Talked about Grief	51	(8)
Grief Soon after the Death	59	(12)
Meaning Making	71	(16)
Grief Over the Long Run	87	(6)
The Family Grief Process	93	(18)
God	111	(12)
Being Strong in Grief	123	(10)
Continuing Contact with the Deceased	133	(12)
Talking about It, Crying about It with Others	145	(8)
Our Grief and Theirs: African Americans Compare Their Grief with Euro-American Grief	153	(14)
Understanding African American Grief	167	(6)
Appendix	173	(6)
References	179	(8)
Author Index	187	(4)
Subject Index	191